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Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 September 1999 Issue No. 447 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 16 - 22 September 1999 Issue No. 447
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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TURNING A NEW LEAF: President Hosni Mubarak inaugurated Al-Azhar's new offices on Monday after the headquarters of Sunni Islam's most venerated institution moved from the cramped quarters it had occupied for 65 years.
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Special Profile Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters The building that now houses the offices of the 1,000-year-old institution is shaped like an open book. Inspired by Islamic architectural motifs, the new edifice also accommodates state-of-the-art facilities. Covering an area of 9,000 square metres, construction costs amounted to LE50 million.
Following a tour of the premises, the president met with members of Al-Azhar's Supreme Council and representatives of the Academy for Islamic Research, and then attended the inaugural ceremony in the building's main hall.
In a brief address to the assembly, Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, declared "the message of Al-Azhar is to convey the truth about Islam and the wisdom of its doctrines," adding that Al-Azhar seeks to serve the interests of the people through "cooperation with the executive, legislative and judicial authorities". Sheikh Tantawi took the occasion to present the president with his fifteen-volume exegesis of the Qur'an. Mubarak was also presented with the Al-Azhar University shield and a book commemorating Al-Azhar's millennial anniversary.
(photo: Randa Shaath)
